Which early civilization in the Indus Valley is known for planned cities such as Mohenjo-Daro and sophisticated drainage systems?

• A. Ancient Egypt
• B. Indus Valley Civilization
• C. Shang Dynasty
• D. Roman Empire

Answer: (B)

This item tests recognizing a civilization’s emphasis on urban planning and sanitation. Mohenjo-Daro and other Indus Valley cities were laid out on orderly grids, with uniform brick sizes, raised platforms, and standardized construction. More striking is their drainage system: brick-lined channels run under streets and connect to main sewers, showing a coordinated approach to public health and city life.

These features—well-planned streets, centralized public works, and advanced drainage—are distinctive hallmarks of the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished around 2600–1900 BCE in the lower Indus valley (present-day Pakistan and parts of northwest India). The other options point to civilizations known for different achievements—Egypt for monumental architecture and Nile irrigation, the Shang Dynasty for early Chinese statecraft and bronze work, and Rome for vast imperial engineering—without the same combination of grid-based urban planning and sophisticated sewer systems seen at Mohenjo-Daro.